Spreading Trust or Mistrust? A Reflection on and Recommendations for Governments, News media, and Businesses’ Communication during Covid-19 pandemic

During public health crises, public trust is essential to dispelling misinformation, fostering social compliance, and stopping the spread of health threats. The Covid-19 pandemic, with a death toll of more than 4.8 million and severe economic disruptions, has witnessed drastic fluctuations of public trust on three key institutions: governments, news media, and businesses. On a global level, trust on governments bubbled up after the outbreak yet soon decreased significantly, trust on news media has hit an all-time low amid the rampant infodemic, but trust and expectations on businesses’ responses have increased among internal and external stakeholders (e.g., Edelman, 2021). The purpose of this chapter is thus to examine how the three institutions’ communication practices affect the public trust ecosystem during the pandemic. By reviewing recent studies focusing on various geographic and institutional contexts, this chapter discusses challenges and public demands placed on the three institutions, their mistakes, and best practices during the pandemic. It also makes recommendations for future communication during public health crises.